Final Day in Florida

 We tried to take Saturday a bit more slowly in the morning. We had our annual egg casserole for our "Christmas" breakfast. We had to settle for Pillsbury cinnamon rolls in place of our coffeecake, but we didn't mind sacrificing this year. After breakfast, we all went to another outlet mall. Analise was able to find some new shoes (yeah!), and I scored a couple of deals at the Nike store. I learned I can get some sweet deals for myself off the youth rack.

We headed back to the hotel and loaded up for the 45 minute drive east to Cocoa Beach. I really didn't know which part of Cocoa Beach to go to, but we found a pier where we could eat, so we went there.

We ate outside on the pier, which we all enjoyed. Here I am waiting for my food. Brandon thought this background was funny.

 The girls enjoyed looking at the ocean; this was their first time on the coast. And God blessed with our best weather of the week; it was sunny and almost 80.

 After lunch we walked out on the pier. We enjoyed watching the fishermen and the pelicans. Notice I was a little hesitant here. I had just approached this pelican when it snapped/hissed at me. He wasn't as friendly as I thought he was.

 Our first family picture with the ocean in the background. Hope there are many more to come. :)

 One of the men fishing waited for us to walk by before tossing the leftover fish to the pelican. Brandon got some amazing pictures here, I think.

 Here are the girls getting in the water for the first time...

 ...and realizing the water is COLD!

 If I could only the post the giggles, squeals and "brrrs!"

There were several surfers out in the water. Every single one of them was wearing a wet suit. And here is my husband way out there, too, jumping waves without a wet suit. He had lots of fun, and I am thankful for that. I think I got my big toe wet the water was so cold.

 Pops got in the cold water for awhile.

 Sadie did a little warming up in the sun while the other two played in the sand.

 Sand angels

 In the span on 12 months, I had my picture taken with Brandon on both the west and east coasts. Each trip holds a special place in my heart.

After a great day at the beach, we had to say goodbye to Peg and Danny. I am so glad they spent the week with us on a trip of a life time. The rest of us went back to the hotel for much needed showers, dinner and early bed times. We were up the next morning at 4:30 to get to the airport. So sad to see the week come to an end. And yet so thankful for the opportunity to go.

Sea World

 We spent Friday at Sea World, the place the girls and I were looking forward to the most. I think the main reason for that was because we knew what to look forward to - dolphins and whales!

It was a cooler day in the morning, but the sun came out later making it a gorgeous day to be walking around a beautiful park.

 One of the first stops was the dolphin feeding. As soon as I learned we could feed them, I asked Brandon if Analise and I could do it. Of course he said yes, and I was beyond excited.

We were able to go on a separate part of the pool to get up close and personal.

 Rest of the family was on the other side watching and taking pictures.

 It was definitely worth the $7 for four fish!

Panoramic shot of the dolphin cove.

Next up - the dolphin show! The last time I was at Sea World to see a show was when I was in elementary school. I remembered how much I loved it, so I was glad to have my girls experience it, too!

The next show was the comedy show featuring seals, an otter and a walrus. It was humorous, and I loved hearing the girls laugh.

 This walrus looked nothing like I expected it to. By the looks of it, it needs to start a Jillian Michaels dvd.

 The girls and I walked through the aquarium with Grandmom and Pops while the other three dare devils were riding the roller coasters.

 We met back up for the "Shamoo" show. The show was great - a little too "earthy" for my taste, but we enjoyed it none the less. They are quite amazing creatures that God created.

 See the younger, smaller whale?

 There was an area with small rides that the girls enjoyed. After that we met up for lunch.

 And they met Shamoo along the way.

 One of my favorite parts about Sea World was walking along this boardwalk. I loved the Christmas trees in the water.

 Maisie with a pink plant;  it seemed fitting.

 We were able to go down below the dolphin area to see them swim right next to us. The girls loved it.

 I had to get a picture of one of the coasters Brandon, Peg and Danny enjoyed. Crazy.

 They also had a water ride with a big drop. Maisie l.o.v.e.d it so much she almost became obsessed with it and wanted to do nothing else. She didn't mind being wet; she just wanted to go over and over.

 While Maisie and Brandon rode it at least five times, we walked around and did some other things.

Another thing I loved was all the greenery. At first it was strange to see Christmas decorations while also seeing flowers and palm trees. However, I quickly adjusted and fell in love with it. Here I am with a beloved palm tree.

 Mom and dad looking good.

 How I miss all the beauty...

 Wet Maisie and Brandon joined us at the seals (or sea lions...now that it's March I can't remember. Geesh.) Grandmom bought us some fish to feed them. It was fun! They would come right up to the edge, and we'd toss a fish, hoping a sea gull wouldn't swoop in and catch it mid-air.

 The park had a tall tower that you could ride up and get a 360 view  of the area. We rode up and enjoyed the view. I loved this sunset.

 That is our hotel complex in the back of the picture.

 Aren't those trees so pretty?

And here is the tower we rode.

 The last thing we did was go to the newer area to view the orcas swimming. They came up right next to the glass. Again - so amazing.

 It was late, and we were hungry by the time we left. Despite this, Brandon chose to eat dinner at a Japanese restaurant. Though the girls didn't care for much of the food, they were entertained with the cooking.

SO grateful for another great day with family enjoying some of God's creation!